Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer

We’re about to enter the last days of summer and quite fittingly, Romania is melting under an unusual heat wave that travels across the country. While we’re trying to soak up (responsibly) as much sun as possible and we’re planning a perfect getaway, the month of August is going to move on soon, so let’s make the most of it!

But what do we do in case we’re having a staycation or we want to unwind after a long hot day at work? These two coming of age movies from the eighties are my perfect way to cope with high temperatures and forget that this year I am not going on holiday during summertime. They recapture perfectly that period of economical growth, social restlessness, protests against war and free love.

My recommendation is to watch/ re-watch both film and enjoy the lazy-hazy-crazy days of summer the best you can. It doesn’t matter if you go hiking, at the countryside, to the beach or in urban areas – summer is the quintessential feel good season.

DIRTY DANCING (1987)

It’s a classic! Directed by Emile Ardolino, Dirty Dancing is loosely based on screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein’s youth during the sixties. Set in 1963, in the summer preceding the assassination of JFK, the movie depicts the story of Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey, the daughter of the talented Oscar winner Joel Grey) during a family vacation on the Kellerman’s Resort in Catskill Mountains.

Things to do while watching Baby learning how to dance and falling in love with Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze): eating watermelons; wondering if the actress that played Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) had appeared in Flashdance – the answer is yes; wanting to be able to do “the lift”; getting impressed by Patrick Swayze’s singing ability; losing yourself in the most amazing soundtrack a feature length film has ever had!

For another summer flick that takes place in 1963, Shag is a movie that I personally find charming and quirky at the same time. It’s the story of four friends – Carson (Phoebe Cates), Melaina (Bridget Fonda), Pudge (Annabeth Gish) and Luanne (Page Hannah, Daryl Hannah’s sister) – who skip what would’ve been a boring weekend in Fort Sumter and make the “wild” decision to party and go to the beach, having best time of their lives before entering “real life” (or adulthood). They end up in Myrtle Beach, falling in love, falling out of love, searching for a Hollywood career or dancing the popular shag. Interestingly, Shag has had the same choreographer that made Dirty Dancing famous for its dance moves – Kenny Ortega.

You can enjoy this movie while drinking cool summer cocktails; painting your nails rainbow colors; admiring Tyrone Power Jr. (Europeans might know him as Romina Power’s brother, Americans as Tyrone Power’s son); listening to some rock’n’roll music while enjoying a bottle of Coca-Cola.